The fireflies
by Kalafinn54
Summary: Some say that if you swear your love within the enchanted forests of Feita, the pixies that protect it will always keep it from ever fading away. For more than seven years, Luichel has always believed it.


**Author's note: This is a story about Luichel and Pane, but apparently neither of those NPCs exist as selectable characters. Ariel _is_ in the story though, just as a minor character.**

* * *

The sun was setting on a summer night of Elder, rendering the beige stone of its walls and buildings dye with an orange light. Luichel put the last of her belonging on the COBO transportation cart she rented for this day. Ariel met her on her doorstep with all the required documents to settle the sale of her shop and the money for the rented cart.

The blonde employee looked patiently at her as the accessory shop owner read all the terms of the sale, making sure they had not changed.

"I'm surprised you wanted to move out, Luichel. You, Lenphad and Echo seemed to be the few merchants who wanted to remain here no matter what."

The Accessory shop owner breathed out with a sad smile curling her lips. "I'd stay, but with Hoffman and Wally both gone, people here don't buy accessories as much as before. And besides..."

Her gaze brightened briefly, but she did not say more to Ariel, signing the papers and leaving a pouch of ED coins in her hands.

"Thank you, Luichel. I hope your journey is safe. It'll be a long way."

Luichel untied her strawberry-blonde hair and hid all her jewels on her in a small vault that looked far too old and dirty to raise any bandit's greed. She gave a smile back to Ariel as she mounted on the cart, putting the hood of her brown cape over her head. She held the reins in her hands and looked one last time at the town she had spent the last six years in.

Its golden shine was long gone after Wally had spent a fortune on his Nasod research. It still had its charm during those days. Until Hoffman had moved the merchant organization to Velder's outskirts. Then, like a cloud of dust spread by a gust of wind, all of the central commercial district grew emptier.

The shops that once showed off their colourful goods were left with closed doors, empty shelves and 'for sale' panels. Now, one more shop joined the void of what had once been the second greatest merchant city of Lurensia. It still tugged a bit her heart, but it was the better choice. Her duties to her family had come to an end today. She had never grown to love the trade of her sickly mother, but Elder truly had warmer people than Feita. But no other fellow merchant had become more than distant friends to her.

"Ariel, how much will the journey take, exactly?"

The COBO employee looked down, softly rubbing her chin as she calculated the travel days. After a few seconds of silence, she replied. "If the weather or bandits don't slow you down, you'd be there by the end of summer. That's why I counseled you to take some escorts or a Hameling, but it's too late now."

Luciel chuckled. "Good El, you still seem really weary of merchants travelling on their own. I'd understand the concern if it were Echo, but I have knocked quite a bit of bandits out with these."

She threw quick punches around, letting Ariel see clearly that her knuckles were covered by a set of brass knuckles that seemed sharp enough to be also leave cuts on what they hit if need be. Ariel chuckled nervously at her display of strength. "Well, I see I have no reason to fear for your safety. But I can never say this too often, even to veteran adventurers: stay on the main roads. There are a lot more desert raiders now."

Luichel nodded. "I'll keep it in mind. Will you still stay here for long?"

The blonde woman in her beige and pink uniform shook her head. "Sadly, business has not being doing great for us either. I liked this town quite a bit, but everyone will move to Velder soon."

"Perhaps we'll meet again with those kids. Well, they are no longer be kids by now, are they?"

Ariel smiled with a spark of nostalgia in her eyes. "Certainly not. I can almost expect Elsword to be taller than both of us by now."

Luchiel chuckled. "They say that redheads stay short around these parts, you know? Perhaps his sword-training made him an exception."

Blue was beginning to cool the intense orange sunset and Luichel waved at Ariel. "I'd better get going, Ariel. Have a safe trip, whenever you're forced to go too."

She pulled on the horse's reins and the cart slowly rolled out of the empty streets of Elder, each gallop echoing through empty streets, only meeting with the quiet steps of families that were too poor to leave the only small abode they had ever had. Once she crossed the gates, the chirps of the cicadas gave her finally a soothing melody to ride through the end of the day and most of the night.

How much she had missed the sound of nature. But even cicadas didn't cry in those mountain forests, she knew it well. It was a harsh place, even Ariel had told her this. She did not know that the coldest forests of Lurensia could hide a beautiful scenery within its darkness. Elder's forests nor Bethma's desert could ever compared to the haven that the mountains hid.

Small golden wisps gave the mountains, which stopped the desert on the south east, a fairy-like charm. That and the person she had not seen over 6 years. The letters they had exchanged in that time never felt like enough, but Luichel had always believed in destiny.

* * *

Pane knew that her research was not well-seen by the locals of this harsh land of mountains and northern forests. Rare insects lived under the exceptionally magic-filled mountains that Feita rested in, but fireflies were the exception. Even here, as close as it was safe to go into the Dimension of Sinister Intent, the small insects gave their calm glow in shades of yellow and green.

It had been a while since she felt her research went anywhere. Even if she knew why Luichel had to go to Elder, letters were not enough to keep her drive as strong as when they were two plundering ruins and searching for artifacts. Each new discovery without her led to a hollower satisfaction. And eventually, there was not even that small joy in her work left. The summer was coming to an end and so would any exploration of the Dimension of Sinister Intent. The snow fell incredibly early around that part of the mountain and it remained there until the middle of the spring.

The golden-eyed elf sighed at another day of empty findings. She took her notebook out, but the first big drops of rain made her put it back in her leather bag. Pane ran along the dirt roads, passing the forests' beauty that once made her smile at how Luichel had seen it.

The elven woman ran even faster as the heavy rain hit her with the force of a gale, soaking her even before she reached her abode in Feita's outskirts. Pane took a deep breath and hung her bag over the coat rack to her right. Water dripped from her boots, clothes and long hair, even when it was tied in a bun.

She made took big steps, almost leaps, to avoid the stains of mud on the floor she'd definitely have to clean later on. Luichel had talked about heading back here: their home. There'd be a lot of cleanup to do for that day, including dusting off the piano Pane had not played in years.

Luichel always liked to hum along fairy lullabies Pane played on them. She had even gotten good at muttering some words of the elf's forgotten language. Thinking about it made her smile, but her mission had lasted for two weeks too many. She was past due of a soothing bath.

Pane took a long hot bath and changed before deciding to go out and check her mail, given that the storm had passed. Even here, the chill that the rain left in the mountains mixed with the sharp minty scent that was the only one of its kind in Lurensia. She looked through the COBO mail, barely glancing at the usual bank notices on deposits and withdrawals from it made by her sponsors in Sander. Quite honestly, she was hoping for something more personal, but today was no luck either. The only thing that piqued her interest was a notice from COBO transport. It came from Bethma.

She thought at first it was some kind of equipment delivery, but on its back, only the word '_visit_' was written. It apparently had been for a couple of weeks here, judging by how the ink looked greyer instead of raven-black.

Then, in the distance, she heard the hoofs of a horse clap over the stone road that led to the village.

It was a carriage from COBO services, led by Lento. Pane tilted her head at it but, knowing the kind of strict and cold person Lento was, she decided to head over and see what was heading her way. He usually left that kind of task to Allegro. Then, she remembered that the timid village chief was sent to seek for help in Bethma.

Feita's people were growing tense, yet the forests around it remained a haven of light.

"Good evening, Commander." She politely greeted one of the few remaining knights of the region.

"Good evening." His voice was like ice, just like what the mountains would become in a few weeks from now. "Are you expecting a visitor for the past week?"

The elf looked back at the letter in her hand and nodded. The raven-haired knight continued his inquiry. "I see. Where is your visitor supposed to come from?"

"For the El's sake, Commander. You've already seen thrice that my papers are all in order." Luichel's voice chimed in from the carriage.

Lento's eyes glanced coldly at the passenger he escorted. "One can never be too careful after what the demons-"

Pane was no longer paying attention to any reproach Lento had to say and she ran past him towards the back of the carriage. She stopped there and saw the woman she had fallen for, with a long brown dress she would have refused to wear before and the locks of her hair fell a bit below her shoulders for the first time since they had known each other.

It might have been another person if it were not for her face and her eyes. Luichel's brown eyes still gleamed with ambition and an undying optimism despite the bruises on her arms and the cuts on her cloak.

The elven woman rushed in to hug her with the biggest smile she'd had in months, chuckling yet feeling her eyes sting with tears. She held her in her embrace for what felt like a deliciously short eternity. Pane had longed for the warmth of her arms and the way Luichel hugged her back, she knew her longing was mutual.

"Pane, it's been so long..." her love muttered. "...but the trip was a bit rough and you're hugging me a bit too tight. Again."

The elf pulled Luichel back from her embrace and scoffed. "That's on you. I've not seen you in what would be _ages_ for you." she sighed. "But you haven't changed. Always coming back home all bruised up."

"That's not true."

Pane stared at her, her golden eyes expressing very outwardly her unspoken disbelief.

"...well, maybe _most_ of the time. But certainly not _always_."

Pane shook her head with a smile, almost forgetting where they were. Lento cleared his throat and the two took two steps apart from each other. "I have been told by my senior colleagues in this area that you two are...close friends. Pane, I assume your kind can detect demonic magic, given your help in the mountain area. Are you absolutely sure this is your friend?"

Luichel frowned at the knight. "Excuse me? Sir, I've-"

Pane put a hand over her shoulder and gave her a grave look, silently urging her to stay quiet. Luichel's outrage died out with surprise. It was not the time for that kind of grim conversation. "Yes, commander. She is Luichel Lavoiser, my friend and partner in my research."

Lento stared at Luichel for a while, as if he expected her to transform into a demon on the spot and draw a hidden blade from her dress. After a couple of seconds of silence, he nodded and ordered Luichel to take out her bags immediately. His cold voice ever left any place for replying, even for rebellious people like Pane's love.

The strawberry-blonde merchant took her three bags and a dusty coffer out of the carriage and Lento got back into the rider's seat. He nodded at Pane and went down the detour half a mile away from Pane's home.

"He's too young to be that severe." Luichel muttered.

The elf took two of her girl's bags and carried it all the way to the door, while Luichel took care of the rest of her luggage. "He and a lot of soldier's have lived through rough times, Lui. You heard the rumours of the attacks in Hamel and Resiam?"

"Yeah, but certainly that can't be. Demons are just creatures of fairytales to make kids behave."

"There have been attacks by glitters around the Lord's castle. The soldiers have kept a hold of it though. But the village and its outskirts are safe. I've made sure of it, so we could both rest easy."

Pane pushed the door open and took Luichel's luggage into their room. For appearances, there was a guest room on the first floor, but visitors were always rare. With the current situation, there would even be less people around here. The elf's ears perked slightly up at the sound of solitary piano notes that slowly formed fragments of Luichel's favourite lullaby.

She got out of the room and walked down the stairs, watching Luichel slowly decypher the instrument she had never touched until now. With a dress and her long, loose hair, Luichel looked like the past image of herself.

"In six years, it seems we've picked the habits we missed from one another, Lui."

Luichel combed her hair back from her ears, taking her hands away from the piano and clasping them in the wrinkles of her skirt. Pane slowly walked towards her and combed the wavy strawberry-blonde hair carefully, as one would treat the most precious of silks.

"Maybe we have. I love those clothes of yours. They suit you better than dresses that hide your curves."

Pane smiled. "Why, thank you. Maybe during the winter, I can teach you how to play the piano more."

She passed her fingers over the naked shoulders of her love, using her magic to heal her every bruise, cleanse all the desert and tiredness Luichel might have carried with her. Despite the worries that Feita and her research constantly went through, Pane wanted to take all of that away from her and Luichel's minds.

Her love looked at her, with her cheeks flushed but with a hint of worry in her eyes. "Pane, are you sure the mountains are still safe? The project should be halted if not."

Pane sat to her side and cupped Luichel's face in her hands. "Luichel, love, with you here I would not let anything harm us. Nor the village."

Luichel put her hand over hers and closed her eyes. "I'd fight alongside you if I must. If a storm is coming towards us, we swore we'd always face it together, didn't we?"

The woman in the brown dress pushed Pane's hand down and tangled her fingers with hers. They shared the kiss no one but the fireflies of gold and emerald hidden in the night could witness. Their closeness did not need to be more than a weak glow in the night. They had both known that since they fell for one another, in the same clearing their house was now built on.


End file.
